In the first debate of the general election for Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman went head-to-head, both walking away with less than impressive results.

Over the course of 90 heated minutes hosted by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, the candidates exchanged barbs, continually interrupting and criticizing each other’s performances.

There was little room for disagreement on their mutual shortcomings.

Even the moderator’s patience wore thin at one stage.

During a heated discussion on the pressing issue of homelessness, he reprimanded both politicians, noting, “The audience can’t decide whose narrative to trust, and they’re uncertain if either of you offers a solid plan.”

Ouch.

Neither candidate seemed to have any new ideas for solving LA’s problems. Neither candidate seemed up to the challenges of the office.

Mayor Bass spoke vaguely about transforming the system for dealing with homelessness, and about creating a new central economic development authority, as if she hadn’t been in office for four years.

Raman managed to step on one rake after another. When Bass declared, “You have missed several thousand votes because you won’t show up to work,” Raman, amazingly, said, “Yeah.”

When a resident asked what the candidates would do about the fact that street vendors are outcompeting brick-and-mortar restaurants by evading regulations and taxes, Raman talked about how great vendors are.

Bass didn’t miss the opportunity to land a punch: “I do not think that you should have a food vendor in front of a restaurant, period,” she said, to applause.

Bizarrely, Raman also brought up the fact that she had once endorsed Bass. She failed to explain why she had changed her mind.

The only positive point the challenger managed to put across was the fact that homeless encampments had declined in her own council district.

But Raman struggled to explain why she had voted against a city ordinance banning homeless encampments near schools and day care centers.

There was evident frustration in the room against Raman, who represents Sherman Oaks as part of Council District 4. One of the questions demanded to know why Raman had not been more responsive to local businesses. All Raman could say was that voters in other parts of the city felt “let down” by Bass.

“Of course there’s gonna be people that complain,” Raman concluded, attempting to explain why her own constituents were unhappy with her.

Raman also fielded a question about fears of the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America, including the rise of antisemitism. She said that while she was a member of the socialist organization, she had charted an independent course.

At one point, Raman was asked: “What, if anything, have you done to protect single-family homes?” She waffled, ending with a warning that the attacks on single-family homes would continue unless the city built enough of the dense high-rises that the state clearly prefers.

There could not have been a more tone-deaf response. The moderator then started arguing with Raman about SB 79, a recent state law that overrides local zoning to encourage high-rises near transit hubs.

Bass insisted on getting a word in edgewise; she ought to have allowed Raman to continue to dig the hole she was in.

Later, Raman landed a jab about Mayor Bass’s campaign staff running crisis communications for Lineage, the food storage company involved in the recent Boyle Heights fire.

Bass had to admit it wasn’t a good look.

But Raman couldn’t explain why she had hired staff from disgraced Maine Senate candidate’s Graham Platner’s campaign. Her best defense: She also hired staff from Zohran Mamdani’s campaign. (As if that were a good thing.)

Both candidates seemed determined to lose. Neither of them mentioned the challenge of rebuilding after the LA fires last year.

Both deserved to earn an “F.” Bass looked only slightly more competent. So, “D-minus” for her.

She also stole a line from Spencer Pratt, the insurgent candidate who shook up the primary election.

Bass — surprisingly — emphasized the importance of fighting drugs and mental illness among the homeless.

As if she hadn’t been running a “housing first” policy for four years.

At least she learned something from Pratt. It was a reminder of how much he brought to the election.

His absence is keenly felt.

Joel Pollak is Opinion editor of the California Post.

In an unexpected twist, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced their decision to relocate their family back to the UK, a bold move six years after stepping away from royal duties. This dramatic return is perceived by many as a significant acknowledgment that their ambitious plans to establish a new life in America may not have succeeded as anticipated.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a grand entrance into California’s glittering landscape in 2020, ostensibly poised for Hollywood success. Armed with their royal status, immense global recognition, and lucrative multimillion-dollar agreements, they were ready to make their mark.

Among the high-profile deals was a reported $100 million contract with Netflix, alongside a $20 million agreement with Spotify. Audiences were promised engaging content through podcasts, documentaries, and various television endeavors.

Their venture, Archewell Productions, aimed to establish them as influential figures in Hollywood’s elite circles, while Meghan sought to transform herself into a successful lifestyle entrepreneur.

The couple settled into an opulent $15 million estate in Montecito’s sun-drenched locale, nestled among billionaires and A-list celebrities. This was meant to be the dawn of an extraordinarily profitable new chapter in their lives.

But six turbulent years later, the couple are heading back across the Atlantic.

News that Harry and Meghan plan to return to Britain for an extended period and enroll Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in an English school suggests the couple have accepted that their American adventure has not delivered the glittering commercial empire once envisaged.

The Spotify deal is long gone. Their original Netflix contract has ended. The duchess’s With Love, Meghan lasted two seasons. 

A string of heavily promoted projects either struggled to find audiences or never materialized at all.

Even the couple’s first jointly produced feature documentary, Cookie Queens, endured a humiliating opening weekend this month when it was beaten at the US box office by a compilation of internet cat videos.

And their difficulties have stretched far beyond television.

Meghan’s lifestyle business endured an embarrassing start when American Riviera Orchard, a name unveiled with enormous fanfare in 2024, was eventually abandoned and replaced with the considerably shorter As Ever.

Her first Spotify series, Archetypes, ended along with the couple’s lucrative deal with the streaming giant, while her subsequent Confessions of a Female Founder podcast failed to generate anything approaching the cultural impact of the couple’s earliest post-royal ventures.

There have also been repeated reports of staff upheaval, including the departure of senior communications executives, while critics have questioned whether Meghan has managed to secure a place among America’s celebrity elite that once appeared to be hers for the taking.

The Duchess was absent from the Met Gala this year and reports have even claimed she was attempting to secure invitations to Paris Fashion Week events as her standing in the fashion world came under scrutiny.

Against that bruising backdrop, the timing of the Sussexes’ return to Britain is remarkable.

Sources close to Harry briefed at the weekend that his family reunion with King Charles last month left the Duke feeling ‘buoyed,’ ‘very happy’ and ‘really energized.’

Crucially, they added: ‘He wants to spend more time in the UK with his family.’

He will now get his wish.

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are understood to be returning to Britain before the end of August for an ‘extended period,’ with their two children believed to have already been enrolled at a British school.

The family are expected to establish themselves in a private, non-royal residence and could remain in Britain while Archie and Lilibet complete their education.

But there will be no return to life as working royals.

The King, who is understood to have been informed of Harry’s plans only on Sunday, is said to welcome the opportunity to spend more time privately with his younger son and grandchildren.

But Buckingham Palace’s position on Harry and Meghan’s official status is understood to be unchanged.

There will be ‘no alteration’ to their roles as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, in keeping with the arrangements established after their sensational departure in 2020.

Sources have also insisted that the Sussexes are not plotting a return to the royal fold.

The Sussexes are expected to retain their sprawling Montecito estate, meaning their return is not a clean break with California. They also have a residence in Portugal.

When Harry and Meghan arrived in America, they were among the hottest properties in global entertainment and the money followed almost immediately. 

For the couple, America represented freedom.

The move offered financial independence, privacy, sunshine and the chance to build a global media empire free from palace courtiers and the constraints of royal protocol.

In September 2020, the couple signed their enormous Netflix agreement through Archewell Productions, promising documentaries, films, children’s shows and scripted entertainment that would ‘inform’ and ‘give hope.’

Three months later came their lucrative Spotify deal.

It appeared that Harry and Meghan had achieved precisely what they had wanted when they left royal life: independence, enormous earning potential and control over their own global platform.

Initially, the strategy appeared to work as their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021 became a global television event, although it was not part of either streaming deal.

Then came Netflix’s Harry & Meghan in 2022. It was a ratings success in a six-part documentary series, packed with deeply personal claims about their experiences inside the monarchy.

Harry followed it in January 2023 with Spare, his candid memoir detailing everything from fights with Prince William to tensions with Charles and his experiences growing up inside the Royal Family. It made more than 6 million global sales.

The problem for the Sussexes was what happened when the royal revelations began to run out.

The audience appeared far less interested when Harry and Meghan were no longer the subject.

Netflix’s Live to Lead made little cultural impact.

Heart of Invictus, centered on competitors preparing for Harry’s Invictus Games, failed to approach the same attention generated by Harry & Meghan.

Then came Polo, a five-part series about the elite equestrian sport beloved by the Duke.

It failed to crack Netflix’s global top ten and received a dismal 25 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Other grandly announced projects disappeared before audiences ever had the chance to judge them.

Pearl, an animated children’s series being developed by Archewell, was scrapped by Netflix in 2022.

A planned adaptation of Carley Fortune’s bestselling romance novel Meet Me at the Lake was announced with considerable excitement but failed to materialize during the Sussexes’ original Netflix deal.

Spotify proved even more disastrous.

Harry and Meghan signed their reported $20 million agreement with the audio giant in late 2020, with enormous expectations surrounding the kind of programming two of the world’s most famous people might produce.

Yet Meghan’s Archetypes ultimately ran for just 12 full episodes in 2022, plus a Christmas special released under the couple’s earlier Archewell Audio banner.

By June 2023, Spotify and Archewell Audio announced that they had ‘mutually agreed to part ways’.

Then came a brutal public broadside from Spotify executive Bill Simmons.

On his own podcast, Simmons notoriously branded the couple ‘f***ing grifters’ and mocked his experience of attempting to develop ideas with Harry.

‘I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea,’ he said.

‘It’s one of my best stories… F*** them.’

Meghan eventually returned to podcasting with Confessions of a Female Founder, this time through Lemonada Media.

But by then the dizzying excitement surrounding the Sussexes’ arrival in America had faded.

The Duchess also attempted to establish herself as a lifestyle mogul.

American Riviera Orchard was unveiled in March 2024 with a hazy Instagram video showing Meghan arranging flowers and cooking in a kitchen.

The name appeared to be a nod to Santa Barbara, the wealthy coastal region that encompasses Montecito and is sometimes dubbed the American Riviera.

What followed was a painfully drawn-out rollout.

Jars of numbered strawberry jam were dispatched to celebrity friends and photographed on social media, but months passed without the anticipated full-scale launch.

Then, in February 2025, American Riviera Orchard abruptly became As Ever.

Meghan acknowledged the original name had limited what she could sell, saying she had secured the As Ever name in 2022 and was now returning to it.

As Ever subsequently launched products including preserves, flower sprinkles, teas and other lifestyle goods, with some releases selling out.

But the brand has not yet transformed Meghan into the Martha Stewart-style commercial force her most enthusiastic supporters once envisioned.

Other ventures have similarly vanished.

Meghan’s 40×40 initiative was launched with celebrity backing on her 40th birthday in 2021, asking 40 friends to spend 40 minutes mentoring women returning to work.

The Duchess predicted the initiative could create a global ‘ripple effect.’ Instead, it also quietly disappeared from public view.

Her children’s book, The Bench, became a New York Times bestseller in the United States but received savage reviews from some British critics and failed to become the beginning of a broader children’s publishing empire.

Meanwhile, Meghan’s attempts to establish herself as a television personality culminated in With Love, Meghan, the glossy Netflix lifestyle series featuring the Duchess cooking, entertaining and dispensing hosting tips from a rented California home.

It survived two seasons but was not renewed for a third.

In yet another flop, Cookie Queens, executive produced by Harry and Meghan through Archewell Productions, follows four Girl Scouts as they compete in the high-pressure world of cookie selling.

Meghan personally helped promote the documentary, discussing her own childhood experiences as a Girl Scout before its theatrical release.

Yet according to reported Box Office Mojo figures, the film managed approximately $354,000 from 446 theaters on its opening weekend.

CatVideoFest 2026, essentially 70 minutes of viral cat footage, took approximately $569,000 despite playing on just 255 screens.

The royal couple had been beaten by skateboarding cats.

‘There’s no getting around the optics of finishing five places behind a 70-minute compilation of internet cat videos,’ royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told Fox News.

‘Hollywood can forgive a lot, but being beaten by CatVideoFest is the sort of indignity that writes its own punchline. 

‘Harry and Meghan remain extraordinarily effective at generating headlines, but headlines and paying customers are two very different things,’ she said.

‘There was a period when simply attaching their names to something guaranteed enormous curiosity. I’m not convinced that’s true anymore.’

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams similarly pointed to the Oprah interview, Harry & Meghan and Spare as the couple’s genuine blockbusters.

‘What is undoubted is the publicity that accompanies everything they do,’ he said.

But he claimed audiences had proved less interested in projects including With Love, Meghan, Heart of Invictus, Polo and now Cookie Queens.

‘So it’s all about buzz and nothing else, save their link with real royalty,’ he suggested. 

The couple have also cycled through a striking number of employees since their relationship began, including repeated changes among senior communications staff.

Commentator Fitzwilliams claimed earlier this year that she had developed a ‘disastrous habit of falling out with Hollywood’s top power brokers’.

Her absence from the Met Gala became another talking point.

So too did reports about her relationships with figures including Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the Kardashians and Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

The Sussexes unquestionably remain famous.

Their every move still generates headlines across the world, Meghan continues to operate As Ever and Archewell Productions remains active. 

They will also retain their Montecito mansion, leaving open the possibility of continuing to work in America.

But their return to Britain represents a remarkable full-circle moment.

In 2020, Harry and Meghan left the monarchy believing their future lay 5,000 miles away in California.

They had royal fame, Hollywood money and almost unlimited curiosity on their side.

Six years on and a string of abandoned projects later, they are coming home.

‘You gotta get to them’

The individual accused of managing this overcrowded and unlicensed boat tour, which resulted in the deaths of a mother and her infant daughter, is facing serious charges. According to the Department of Homeland Security, this man, who resided illegally in the U.S., is now detained by ICE.

Manuel Hernandez, aged 46 and a national of El Salvador, has been placed in immigration custody following an investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, which confirmed his unlawful residency in the country, as per DHS findings.

Initially, New York authorities charged Hernandez with 13 counts of reckless endangerment. He now faces additional federal charges, including two counts of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, stemming from the boat’s capsizing on August 8 in New York Harbor.

Federal prosecutors allege Hernandez was operating unlicensed boat tours and ignored multiple safety requirements before the fatal excursion, which killed a 5-month-old girl and her 27-year-old mother.

DHS said Hernandez claims he illegally entered the United States through Texas in 2007. He allegedly lied to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen to enter the country, according to the agency.

Federal prosecutors said Hernandez was not licensed to carry paying passengers but had 14 people aboard the Yamaha AR210 he was piloting, despite the vessel having a maximum capacity of 10. He also allegedly took the 5-month-old infant aboard without an appropriate life vest.

According to the federal complaint, Hernandez told investigators he did not know that a Merchant Mariner Credential or Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection was required. He also allegedly said the borrowed vessel did not have a capacity placard and that he did not know its maximum capacity.

“This criminal illegal alien was illegally and recklessly conducting unlicensed boat tours in New York Harbor when his boat capsized, killing a 27-year-old woman and her 5-month-old baby,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.

Mullin said Hernandez would be removed from the country after facing the criminal case against him.

“Once he faces justice for his crimes, we will make sure that he is swiftly removed from our country,” Mullin said.

According to the federal complaint, Hernandez allegedly told investigators after his arrest that he had previously piloted at least two other paid boat tours for the same company using his own vessel.

He allegedly acknowledged that he did not have the required Merchant Mariner Credential or Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection and said he was paid approximately $1,000 for each trip.

Before the fatal excursion began, Hernandez allegedly asked the baby’s parents whether they had an infant-sized flotation device. When they said they did not, Hernandez told them the boat did not have one either, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors said Hernandez nevertheless instructed one of the parents to wear a life vest and hold the baby during the tour.

“The defendant allegedly flouted those regulations when he transported paying customers on a commercial vessel without appropriate licenses, overcrowded the vessel, and took on a 5-month-old infant passenger, with no infant life vests onboard,” U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a statement.

The vessel later capsized near Liberty Island, throwing all 14 people into New York Harbor. According to the complaint, Hernandez told investigators that he made a U-turn into a swell, possibly caused by the wake of a larger vessel, and tried to accelerate through it before water came over the bow. Eleven passengers and Hernandez survived, while the mother and infant were recovered unresponsive and later pronounced dead at a Brooklyn hospital.

Each of the two federal charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Approximately 1,500 minks made a daring escape from an Oregon farm when a fence was deliberately breached—an act that authorities and reports attribute to an extremist animal rights group claiming involvement in this dramatic release.

This well-orchestrated liberation occurred at Cascade Farm in Turner, late into the night last Wednesday, while the manager, his family, and farm employees were asleep, as reported by KOIN.

A hole had been sliced into the chain-link fence, a move that gave the minks unprecedented freedom to wander beyond their enclosures, according to local news accounts.

The Animal Liberation Front, a group of international animal activists considered extremist by the FBI, is believed to be behind the break-in, as noted by the local outlet.

Although the radical group has released a statement regarding the incident, they noted they have not yet received an “anonymous communique” that would officially claim responsibility for the operation.

But Jerry Vlasak, a spokesperson for the North American Animal Liberation Front, told the outlet that the mink escape plot was consistent with their group’s actions and that communiques from activists claiming responsibility are not always sent.

The farm owners have since recovered about 90% of the cute, semiaquatic mammals, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet.

“This wasn’t activism. It was a criminal act against a legally operated, certified farm,” Challis Hobbs, Executive Director of Fur Commission USA, an organization that represents mink farmers including Cascade Farm, told the outlet.

“The farm manager and his wife and children live on this property, along with other employees and their families,” he said. “It’s deeply unsettling to have people cut through a fence in the middle of the night with children sleeping just steps away.”

Cascade Farm raises mink legally for pelts and is Humane Care Certified. Any of the mink that aren’t recovered within 24 to 48 hours also face risk of starvation and death, Fur Commission USA added.

The animal activists, however, claimed the mink would be subjected to “egregiously cruel and violent” treatment in captivity.

“The animals liberated last night have a fighting chance at life; they faced a 100 percent death rate if they stayed on the farm,” the Animal Liberation Front wrote in a statement.

The group previously claimed responsibility for cutting open a fence at Olsen Fur Farm in Wisconsin in 2023, allowing about 3,000 mink to escape, CBS reported.

Authorities have not commented on whether the Animal Liberation Front is being probed for pulling off the stunt at Cascade Farms, according to KOIN.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Fur Commission USA did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

Renowned fashion designer Marc Jacobs has landed in hot water after voicing his willingness to style confessed murderer Luigi Mangione for a possible trial in New York. This potential collaboration, involving the accused in the high-profile murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has sparked significant backlash across social media platforms.

The controversial statement from Jacobs, aged 63, emerged during a lie detector segment for Vanity Fair. In this series of probing questions, some focused on Mangione, 28, Jacobs openly declared his intention to potentially dress the alleged killer.

When queried on his past work with celebrities like Winona Ryder, Lil’ Kim, and Courtney Love, all of whom have donned his designs during court appearances, Jacobs was asked about his interest in styling Mangione. Without hesitation, he answered affirmatively.

Pressed further on how he might approach styling Mangione, Jacobs remarked that Mangione’s current style “looks pretty good,” hinting at approval of the alleged murderer’s fashion choices.

In the same vein, Jacobs aligned with an interviewer’s assessment of Mangione as a fashion “trendsetter.” This followed the notable instance of Nordstrom selling out of burgundy sweaters after Mangione wore one to a notable arraignment in late 2024, further evidencing his unexpected influence on fashion retail.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Jacobs and Mangione’s attorneys for further comment on the story.

A number of users on X stated their anger toward Jacobs following the exchange, appearing to accuse the designer of being vapid and tone-deaf amid his stated willingness to outfit Mangione, who admitted last week to stalking and shooting Thompson in late 2024.

‘Hopefully Marc Jacobs will never have a loved one shot in the back by a deranged killer,’ one user remarked.

Another said, ‘You’d dress a man who killed a father of two children in broad daylight and then plead guilty and admitted it was planned ….. shameful as hell hope you rethink this and retract.’

One user vowed they would ‘never buy his clothes again’ after the admission, while another said Jacobs was out of his depth in answering the question.

‘Marc is a 63-year-old billionaire who sells $400 canvas bags to teenage girls, yet he’s acting like he’s the ultimate authority on courtroom optics,’ the user said. ‘Sit down, Marc. It’s a criminal trial, not a Paris afterparty.’

Another person commented, ‘lol these rich losers really think they’re the ‘resistance.”

Some users said that the overall tone of the discussion was uncomfortable, reframed around money and celebrity.

‘I don’t want to co exist with these people anymore,’ one person said, while another added that ‘the love for [Mangione] is so weird [as] he is a murderer.’

One user said the entire line of discussion lacked humanity.

‘This is called dark irony,’ the user said. ‘Just like UHC has treated human health as a transaction for profit maximization Jacobs is using the same transactional coldness to sell a few sweaters or suits. Both erase the human element.’

The discussion came days after a state murder trial faced an indefinite postponement ahead of a slated September 8 start date.

Mangione last Friday entered a guilty plea to stalking and killing Thompson outside of a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said in a news release, ‘Today, Luigi Mangione admitted to stalking and murdering Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in broad daylight. No grievance, political belief, or ideological cause can justify murder.

‘With today’s guilty plea, Mangione is being held accountable for a heinous crime that claimed an innocent life and drew national attention.’

Mangione’s legal team is attempting to have the case dismissed citing grounds of double jeopardy following last week’s developments.

On Monday, Judge Gregory Carro canceled the trial while setting an October 9 deadline for prosecutors in Manhattan to issue a reply in the state case, with a hearing on tap for December 10.

Mangione is slated to be sentenced in his federal case on December 18, with prosecutors indicating they would seek a life sentence in connection with his guilty plea.